Method of and apparatus for producing dry compressed gases



Dec, 26, 1922. 1,439,911

M. H. ROBERTS. I

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR Pnoouc'mc DRY COMPRESSED GASES.

FILED DEC. -7, I918.

WMW

5] vwewfoz atented Dec. 26, 1922.

UNITED STATES 1,439,911 PATENT OFFICE.

MONTAGUE n. aonnn'rs, or JERSEY our, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB T0 in nnnuc'rron coirrm, me, A conroim rron or NEW YORK.

METHOD 01E AND APPARATUS TOR PRODUCING DRY COMPRESSED GASES.

A plication filed December 7, 1918. Serial No. 265,793.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, MONTAGUE H. Ron- ERTS a citizen of the United States, residing at ersey City, in the county of Hudson, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of and Apparatus for Producing Dry Compressed Gases; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact' description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to the production of dry compressed gases and has for its primary object the provision of a method of and apparatus for drying and storing gases in a compressed and substantially anhydrous condition.

Further objects and advantages of my invention reside in the various combinations, as hereinafter described and claimed, as will be apparent when it is better understood by reference to the following specification when read in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating diagrammatically an apparatus adapted for use in carrying out the invention.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 illustrates diagrammatically the complete apparatus; and

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of the controlling valves of the exchangers.

Gases for commercial use are quite generally stored and transported in cylinders or like containers under varying degrees of pressure. Such gases are frequently compresssed in water lubricated compressors, so that the gas when delivered to its container,

is thoroughly saturated with moisture. A 13 certain amount of water 15, moreover, carried into the container and separates therein. No satisfactory method has heretofore been devised for introducing the gas into containers substantially free from water which, not only occupies a considerable space thereby reducing the capacity of the container, but is also detrimental in the intended utilization of the gas. I have conceived the idea of separating all moisture from the gas while in a compressed condition and of de livering the gas under the pressure developed in the compressor to the containers. This I find to be entirely practicable and I am thus enabled, for the first time, so far as I am aware, to store a compressed substantially anhydrousgas in commercial recep-v tacles. The desired result is accomplished without materially increasing the expense of producing the gas, by means of an apparatus, one form of which is illustrated in the drawing.

My invention will be explained more particularly with reference 'to oxygen produced by therectification of liquid air, but it is to be understood that I claim as my invention substantially anhydrous compressed gases generally when stored in portable commerclal receptacles and themethod and apparatus whereby'the moisture is removed from the gas. 7

4 Referring to the drawing, 5'indicates the exchanger operating in connection with a liquld air column (not shown& and supplied through pipes 6 and 7 wit oxygen and nitrogen respective 1y, at relatively low temperaturesfrom the column. The constructlon and use of such exchangers is well understood and need not be described in detail herein, it being sufficient for an understandmg of the present invention to appreciate that air supplied through the pipe 8 to a valve chamber 9 is caused to circulate through the cylinders 10 and 11 about the pipes 12 .within the cylinders, and is finally delivered to a valve chamber 13 whence it passes through a pipe 14 to the liquefying apparatus. Thus the incoming air travels from the valve chamber 9 through a pipe 43 to the cylinder 10 thence by a pipe 44 to another compartment of the valve chamber 9 from which it is diverted through a pipe 45 to the cylinder 11, the gas finally escap mg through a pipe 46 to the valve chamber y reversing the valves in the valve chambers 9 and 13, the incoming air is caused to follow a different course, thus, pipe 4?, cylinder 11, pipe 47, valve chamber 9, pipe 43, cylinder 10 and pipe 48 to the valve casing 13. The purpose of this arrangement is to ermit thawing of congealed moisture in eit er cylinder by bringing the warm incoming air first into that cylinder. Each cylinder is provided with a collector or purge bottle 49 through which moisture separated from the air in the exchanger is withdrawn.

The valve 9 is illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawing and consists of an outer shell to Which the pipes 43, 44, 45 and 47 are connected. The p1pes 43 and 45 are provided not . per chamber has a single opening 54 and the or 51 and the pipes 43, 44, 45 or 47. An

lower chamber has two openings 55 and 56, the respective openings being adapted, de-

pending upon the position of the valve mem-' her, to communicate with the branches 50 inlet- 57 controlled by a valve 58 admits the incoming air to the upper chamber of the valve member. Thus, when the valve member is in the position indicated, the air entering passes through the opening 54 into the branch 51 and thence through the pipe 43. Returning from the cylinder 10 through .the pipe 44 the air enters the lower chamber of the valve member and escapes through the opening 56 to the pipe 45.

V Thence passing through the shell 11 theair escapes throu h the pipe 46 to the valve chamber 13. y rotating the valve member 52 the direction of the air may be reversed as hereinbefore described.

Thus when the valve member is turned the air entering passes through the opening 54 into the branch 50 and thence througlr the pipe 45. Returning from the cylinder. 11 through the pipe 47 the air enters the lower chamber of the valve member, and escapes through the opening 56 to the pipe 43. Thence passing through the cylinder '10 the air escapes through the pipe 48 to the valve chamber 13.

The oxygen and nitrogen supplied through the pipes 6 and 7 circulate through the pipes '12, thereby cooling the air surrounding the pipes and are finally delivered to valve chambers 15 and 16. The valve chambers 15 and 16 are formed in a rotatable valve member which, depending upon its position, communicates with the outlet pipes from the tubes in either the shell 10 or the shell 11. As illustrated in the drawing, the chambers are in communication with the tubes in the shell 11. By rotating the valve member the chambers may be made to communicate with the tubes in the shell 10. Thus the cooling gases may be made to pass throughthe tubes in either the shell 10 or shell 11 as desired. The nitrogen may be withdrawn through a pipe 17 and utilized for any desired purpose or delivered to the atmosphere. The oxygen is withdrawn through a pipe 18 and delivered to a gasometer 19 or'other suitable storage receptacle, where it is held for subsequent use.

From the gasometer 19, a pipe 20 delivers the oxygen to a compressor 21, from which the oxygen is delivered through a pipe 22 to a valve chamber 23 which is identical in construction with the valve 9 of an exchanger 24 similar in principle to the exchanger 5, but of somewhat smaller dimensions, since it is not required to handle so large a volume of gas, and is prov1ded 1n the illustration with means for circulating a single refrigerating gas therethrough.

From the valve chamber 23, the oxygen passes through a pipe 25 to the interior of one of the cylinders 26 of the exchanger 24.

From the cylinder 26, the oxygen-is delivered through a pipe 27 to the valve chamber 23 and passes therefrom through a pipe 28 to the other cylinder 29 of the exchanger. From the latter cylinder, the oxygen is delivered through a pipe 30 to a valve chamber 31, and escapes through a pipe 32 to a manifold 33, to'which the bottles 34 may be connected, by the usual pig-tails 35. De-

livery of the oxygen to thecylinders is controlled by suitable valves 36.

The oxygen within the cylinders 26 and 29 of the exchanger 24 is cooled preferably by oxygen at a much lower temperature,

delivered from the pipe 6 to the pipes 37 'within the cylinders 26 and 29 through a viously, the exchanger 24 may be designed to receive nitrogen from the pipe 7 or, in fact, any gas or other cooling medium. Both oxygen from the-pipe 6 and nitrogen from the pipe 7 may be employed and where other cooled gases are available, these may be utilized in the exchanger 24, either with or without the oxygen and nitrogen from the 'piglalsrti and 7.

ing its passage through the exchangers 24, the oxygen from the compressor 21 is cooled to a sufiiciently low temperature to cause substantially all moisture therein to separate. The temperature is preferably regulated so that the moisture separates in a liquid form and is withdrawn through suitable collectors 42. The valve chambers 23 and 31 are constructed to permit a re versal of the flow of compressed oxygen through the exchanger, so that if congealed moisture accumulates in either the cylinder 26 or 29, the warmer compressed oxygen may be diverted into such cylinder to melt the congealed moisture, thus permitting it to flow into the corresponding collector 42. The temperature of the oxygen in the pipe 6 which serves as a cooling medium in the exchanger 24 is normally well below 0 C. It will be noted, however, that by reason of the countercurrent travel of the two gases, the compressed and moisture laden oxygen is subjected to increasing cold, as it ad.-

vances through the exchanger. Most of the moisture is separated in the comparatively warmer -zones, but the gas is subjected finally to the lowest temperature available which is sufliciently low to reduce the saturated vapor tension of water to a negligible point. The substantially anhydrous oxygen is withdrawn from the coldest zone whereas the separated moistureis withdrawn from the Warmest zone so that moisture once separated cannot again be taken up by the oxygen. In passing through the exchanger 24, substantially all of the moisture absorbed or carried by the oxygen from the compressor 21 is thus effectually separated, so that the oxygen leaves the exchanger in a substa-ntially anhydrous condition and is so de livered under the pressure generated in the compressor 21 to the containers 34. Substantially, no moisture or water is permitted to enter the containers 34, so that they re ceive their full capacity of dry gas, the total. moisture content of which corresponds to the saturated vapor tension of water at the refrigerating temperature. Through my invention I am enabled to overcome what has long been a serious obstacle in the production and storing. of compressed gases. My invention is applicable to all gases which may be safely stored under pressure, and inasmuch as I am the first to have produced substantially anhydrous compressed gases in portable containers for storage and shipment, .1 claim my invention as broadly covering such gases in the condition in which I am enabled to ofier them tothe public as the result of m viously, various forms an types of apparatus may be employed in carrying out my invention, it.be1ng possible to dry gases by means other than the refrigeration accomplished in the exchanger 24.

While the apparatus described herein is I best adapted to (the accomplishment of the intended result, I do not wish to be limited to such apparatus or to the exact operation invention.'- Obas described herein, it being obvious that my invention embodies the idea of drying the gases while under compression and delivering them, Without again subjecting them to compression directly to the storage receptacles.

I claim:

1. An improvement in the art of storing gases, which comprises compressing the gas in 1 1:ontact with water, separating substantia eratibn, withdrawing the separated moisture all the moisture from the gas by refrigfrom the gas while the latter is under pres-.

venting moisture from entering the storage receptacle. 1

3. An improvement in the art of storing gases, comprising in combination a water lubricated compressor, a storage receptacle for the gas compressed therein, and a refrigerator between the compressor and storage receptacle for separating moisture from the gas while maintaining the pressure, said refrigerator having means to permit withdrawal of the separated moisture from the gas while the latter is at the refrigerating temperature, whereby entrance of moisture to the storage receptacle is prevented.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

MONTAGUE H. ROBERTS; 

